A client computer can use a network, such as the Internet, to communicate with and identify other computers connected to the network. The client computer identifies a unique Internet Protocol (“IP”) address for each of these other computers. The client computer may know the IP address of a computer, or it may need to determine this IP address from a domain name using the Domain Name System (DNS).
DNS allows people using the Internet to refer to domain names, rather than IP addresses, when accessing websites and other online services. Domain names, which employ text characters, such as letters, numbers, and hyphens (e.g., “www.example.com”), will often be easier to remember than IP addresses, which are numerical and do not contain letters or hyphens (e.g., “128.1.0.0”). In addition, a domain name may be registered before an IP address has been acquired. The DNS is the Internet's hierarchical lookup service for mapping the character-based domain names meaningful to humans into the numerical IP addresses used by internet devices.
Top-level domain (TLD) servers are responsible for maintaining zone information (usually second-level domains) and for answering the queries directed to registered domains. For example, Verisign, Inc. operates the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) for .com and .net.
The process of establishing a web site on the internet typically begins with a registrant registering a specific domain name through a registrar. The registrant may be an individual or organization that identifies a domain name, such as “example.com.” The registrant contacts a registrar to process the name registration, who in turn sends the necessary domain name service information to a registry. Once the registry receives the domain name service information from the registrar, it inserts that information into a centralized database and propagates the information on the internet so that users around the world may find the domain names. The registry also provides information back to the registrar after this process is complete.
Clients of DNS systems may attempt to initiate large-scale updates of domain name service information. Such large-scale updates, however, have the potential to disrupt DNS service due to the vast amount of information that the DNS system must process. Thus, a need exists for a high-volume, high-speed approach for processing domain name service information able to effectively accommodate such large-scale updates without disruption to, or perceived sluggishness by, the client.